Ukraine, 4-19-23

First, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Tass, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, a link to a book review from anti-war.com — MCM

   

Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine’s Odessa. From AFP. Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa early today but there were no reports of casualties, according to Yuriy Kruk, head of the Odesa district military administration. Kruk said Ukraine’s air defenses had destroyed most of the attacking drones but some civilian infrastructure had been hit. READ MORE . . .

   

South Korea’s Yoon opens door for possible military aid to Ukraine, by Soyoung Kim , Ju-min Park and Hyonhee Shin | Reuters SEOUL — Ahead of his state visit to the U.S. next week, Yoon says his government has been exploring how to help defend and rebuild Ukraine, just as South Korea received international assistance during the 1950-53 Korean War. “If there is a situation the international community cannot condone . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russian forces control almost all of Artyomovsk, says DPR head’s advisor. From Tass. DONETSK —  Russia’s Wagner private military company has taken control of almost 90% of the city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) “and its advance is inevitable,” Yan Gagin, an advisor to the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) leader, said today. “The Ukrainian armed forces are okay with . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Putin, Zelenskyy rally troops with war poised for new phase, by Adam Pemble | AP  KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited command posts of his forces fighting in Ukraine for the second time in two months, officials said Tuesday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his latest trip near the front line. The visits — on different days and in different provinces — sought to stiffen . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Vladimir Putin visits 2 army posts in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. Michele Martín of NPR speaks with Angela Stent of the Brookings Institution about messages Putin hoped to send while visiting Kherson and Luhansk during heightened tension within Russia’s military ranks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

German president slams Putin on Warsaw Ghetto uprising anniversary. From AFP. Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier today slammed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for his Ukraine invasion, while marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in the Polish capital. “With his illegal attack on a peaceful, democratic neighbouring country . . . READ MORE . . .

   

The official story of the Ukraine war grossly misleads, by Frank T. Fitzgerald | antiwar.com  The overriding function of presenting the war in Ukraine as a crime perpetrated by one country is to relieve the U.S., NATO and actors within Ukraine of even the slightest responsibility for the war: Russia and Putin are the only perpetrators; everyone else is either an innocent bystander or an unfortunate victim. A much-needed antidote to this story is provided by Benjamin Abellow’s recent book, How the West Brought War to Ukraine. Based on the critiques of a range of scholars, U.S. government officials and military observers, and on his own . . . READ MORE . . .